Jockey to the Fair

DESCRIPTION: Jocky puts on his Sunday suit and goes to Jenny's house, wakes her by tapping at the window. Jenny says, "Everyone's asleep or out: are you going to hold to your vows?" He says yes. They run off to the Fair and get married. Returning, they bless the day
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1820 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 16(118d))
KEYWORDS: love clothes elopement marriage courting sex promise family
FOUND IN: US(Ap) Canada(Mar) Britain(England(South,West), Scotland)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Bell-Combined-EarlyBallads-CustomsBalladsSongsPeasantryEngland, pp. 465-467, "Jockey to the Fair" (1 text)
Ford-VagabondSongsAndBalladsOfScotland, pp. 90-92, "Jockey to the Fair" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton/Senior-TraditionalSongsOfNovaScotia, pp. 170-171, "Jocky to the Fair" (1 text, 1 tune)
Wolfe/Boswell-FolkSongsOfMiddleTennessee 94, pp. 146-147, "Jocko to the Fair" (1 text, 1utne)
Chappell-PopularMusicOfTheOldenTime, pp. 711-713, "With Jockey to the Fair" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3344
RECORDINGS:
Edmund Henneberry, "Jocky to the Fair" (on NovaScotia1)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 16(118d), "Jocky and Jennys Trip to the Fair," J. Pitts (London), 1802-1819; also Harding B 16(119a), Firth b.26(244), Harding B 11(1884), "Jocky and Jenny's Trip to the Fair"; Firth c.19(152), Firth b.26(407), Harding B 11(1886), Firth b.26(372), Harding B 25(972), Harding B 28(64), "Jockey to the Fair"; 2806 c.16(62), "Jockey and Jenny"; Harding B 21(13), "Trip to the Fair"
ALTERNATE TITLES:
With Jockey to the Fair
NOTES [60 words]: There's also a fiddle tune, "Jockey to the Fair", to which these words can be sung. As for the keyword "sex" -- it's not mentioned in the song, but you can believe what you like. - PJS
For another version see Robert Bell, editor, [The Project Gutenberg EBook (1996) of] Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England (1857), "Jockey to the Fair" - BS
Last updated in version 6.2
File: CrSe170

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